Sep 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) misses a catch during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Saints RB Alvin Kamara Already Raising Red Flags

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 10:02 AM ET

There aren't many ways to sugarcoat it, the New Orleans Saints' start to the 2025 National Football League season hasn't been good.

New Orleans is 0-3 and although the team had a chance in two of those games, all three have been losses all the same. The Saints were embarassed Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks but the first two games did have much more of a chance for New Orleans. But, here we are. The Saints are the lone team in the NFC South without a win. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-0 followed by the Carolina Panthers and Atlana Falcons both at 1-2.

With Week 4 action upon us with the Seahawks beating the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday and the weekend approaching, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon wrote up a story identifying the biggest problem for each team and the Saints' will surprise.

The New Orleans Saints can easily fix this issue

"Problem: The fall of Alvin Kamara," Gagnon said. "This is another 'where to start?' scenario. The important thing is the problem for the Saints is not quarterback Spencer Rattler, who has held his own thus far. The problem is the team has been a mess everywhere else. But let's focus on the fact that their most celebrated offensive player has seemingly hit a wall at age 30. Kamara is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, has caught just nine passes for 47 yards and hasn't scored since the first half of the first game of the season.

"Outlook: Running backs often fall off cliffs at this point. But if the Saints were going to have any hope of hanging around in a soft division this season, they needed another strong campaign from the five-time Pro Bowler. That isn't happening."

What is true is that there are some red flags around Kamara and the Saints' offense right now. But, isn't necessarily because of an age-thing. I would argue it's a usage problem above all else. Kamara had 45 rushing yards on 11 carries Week 1 before the run was abandoned. Week 2, he had 99 rushing yards on 21 carries. Week 3, he had 42 rushing yards on 18 carries. Rushing-wise, Week 3 is the only one that wasn't great, but also was against a tough Seahawks defense.

The bigger problem that unlocks everything is the passing game for Kamara. He has 10 targets through three games and has caught nine of them. Week 3, Kamara had two targets and one catch. Week 1, he also had just two targets. He had six targets Week 2. The Week 2 usage should be closer to what the offense does with Kamara and is historically how New Orleans has used him.

The flash and electricity is still there, now the usage needs to follow.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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